The present invention relates to an ultrasound diagnostic apparatus and a method of producing an ultrasound image, and in particular, to an ultrasound diagnostic apparatus which performs transmission and reception of ultrasonic waves with respect to a transducer array of an ultrasound probe to perform both B-mode image production and sound speed measurement.
An ultrasound diagnostic apparatus using an ultrasound image has hitherto been put into practical use in the field of medicine. In general, this type of ultrasound diagnostic apparatus has an ultrasound probe embedded with a transducer array and an apparatus body connected to the ultrasound probe. An ultrasonic beam is transmitted from the ultrasound probe toward a subject, an ultrasonic echo from the subject is received by the ultrasound probe, and the reception signal is electrically processed by the apparatus body to produce an ultrasound image.
In recent years, in order to diagnose a site under diagnosis in the subject with satisfactory precision, sound speed in the site under diagnosis is measured.
For example, JP 2010-99452 A describes an ultrasound diagnostic apparatus which sets a plurality of lattice points in the vicinity of the site under diagnosis and calculates a local sound speed value on the basis of reception data obtained by transmitting and receiving an ultrasonic beam for each lattice point.